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Sustainable Banking

Banks are emerging as a driving force in the sustainability effort. The industry is uniquely positioned to meet the challenge—and the opportunity.

Sustainability is the new strategic imperative

This is the moment. Banks are feeling pressure from all sides and now understand that unfettered climate change will bring catastrophic environmental impact and dire macroeconomic consequences. Banks must do more than talk about green initiatives; they must now demonstrate they can meet strict standards when it comes to climate risk reporting.

  • Banks are emerging as a major force in reaching the UN´s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Consumers, shareholders, employees and regulators are demanding a strong commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities and are increasing pressure on banks to show results.
  • With pressure coming from all sides, banking has reached a green inflection point.

Banks that visualize and execute their sustainability agendas now will have first-mover advantage in the race to meet their sustainability goals.

Sustainable Banking

Rising to the challenge of net zero banking

Explore how banks can grow their businesses while taking a lead in the transition to a net zero future.

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Sustainable Banking capabilities

Sustainable strategy & governance

We advise on climate due diligence, carbon pricing and trading & offsets, and offer ESG training, in the drive toward a net zero enterprise.

ESG target operating model & data

We help our clients design and implement scalable solutions to support the growth of ESG data and use cases. Download the brochure.

Regulatory compliance & disclosures

We help clients navigate the complex and dynamic ESG landscape to demonstrate results amid increasing pressure from stakeholders and regulators.

New products & client engagements

We help develop and launch green and sustainable products for banks, and support their customers on their sustainability journey to safeguard their future growth.

What we think

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Sustainable Banking

TCFD - 2022 global progress report for banks

Our analysis of banks’ climate reporting reveals a steady increase in those endorsing the TCFD framework and in the maturity of disclosures.

Sustainable Banking

Sustainable lending: an action plan for banks

Banks have an opportunity to finance the ESG agenda and help shape a fairer, greener and more resilient world.

Sustainable Banking

APAC’s tech-first road to sustainable finance

Discover how the financial services industry in APAC can deliver a greater positive impact in our latest sustainable finance report.

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Case studies

Banking

Sustainable banking: Leading the circular economy

We helped a major financial institution develop a strategic framework, set up an innovation lab and launch a circular economy credit platform.

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Wealth Management

Leaning into a sustainable future

We helped a global financial institution meet the new Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and build a culture of sustainability.

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Frequently asked questions

Sustainable banking is a new contract between the banking industry and society. It consists chiefly of two elements: green banking and sustainable finance.

Green banking refers to a bank changing its internal operations to lower or eliminate its environmental impact through initiatives like green IT and energy-efficient premises.

Sustainable finance is the provision of financial products that incentivize or mandate environmentally-friendly behavior. Sustainable finance tools include green bonds, sustainable mortgages and sustainability-linked loans.

We see five areas where banks can accelerate progress on the objectives of sustainable banking: developing a sustainable banking strategy, managing environmental, social, and governance related risk exposures, offering sustainable products, working towards a smart target operating model for sustainable banking, and embracing green IT.

Becoming more sustainable is a complex and multi-faceted endeavor that may be aided by engaging a sustainable-banking consultant.

Green banks seek environmental sustainability in all aspects of their operations, from operating models to product offerings, workforce policies, IT strategies and beyond. Embracing green banking can often deliver a triple punch of increasing stakeholder value while lowering environmental impact and operating costs.

Green banking products leverage new policies, processes and technologies to offer traditional banking value propositions like liquidity with greater environmental sustainability. They include green bonds, sustainable mortgages and sustainability-linked.

Our leaders

Nina Jais

Managing Director – Accenture Strategy, Global Financial Services Sustainability Lead
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Steven Smith

Managing Director – Strategy, Banking Sustainability Lead, North America
LinkedIn